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never seen such an extreme assymetry plus the first (for me) documented thayeri pattern in a non-adult cach. quite sure its right wing has been seriously damaged and primaries have been replaced. p9 is missing. but even p6-p8 seem to have been replaced: they have large apical spots now and look much fresher than those in left wing! interesting bird - shows that such ind. could survive their damage. or was the loss of 3rd gen. outer primaries the result of internal (hormonal/metabolical) problems? but only in one wing - unlikely?

On March 17th and 18th I visited Comana Natural Park - probably it was my last opportunity to see Common Gulls this spring. I also saw some Yellow-legged Gulls and Black-headed Gulls. Here is really hot for March (with maximum temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius!).

Hi folks, a good movement of large Gulls is going on in NW England at the moment and scrutiny today produced a 1stw Caspian Gull ( poor record shot attached).Also today the 3rdw Kumliens from a few weeks back reappeared.An interesting looking juv Gull caught my eye ( see pic), very uniform wash on the underparts and nice chevrons in the primaries.The primaries had a good venetian blind effect in flight and a very pale underside to the primaries was eyecatching.The tail was concolourous with the upperparts, not having a tail band as such , all dark essentially.A hybrid maybe?Attachment 376591

Hi folks, a good movement of large Gulls is going on in NW England at the moment and scrutiny today produced a 1stw Caspian Gull ( poor record shot attached).Also today the 3rdw Kumliens from a few weeks back reappeared.An interesting looking juv Gull caught my eye ( see pic), very uniform wash on the underparts and nice chevrons in the primaries.The primaries had a good venetian blind effect in flight and a very pale underside to the primaries was eyecatching.The tail was concolourous with the upperparts, not having a tail band as such , all dark essentially.A hybrid maybe?Attachment 376591

The juv gull is a fair old size; as big as the Herrings. If it was smaller and sleaker I'd be checking it out for Kumlien's/Thayer's. Is it a pale Herring? Could well be a hybrid but what would the parents be?

Hi Andy, its certainly a puzzling bird.The head and bill are very Iceland like, especially the small dark bill.Of course the tertials are all wrong for Thayers and the bird generally is surely too dark for Kumlien`s despite the vast amount of variation found with them.It reminded me of some of the weird hybrid Gulls I`ve seen in California.The seemingly all dark tail was strange too and the paleness of the underwing was really eyecatching.All part of the joys of Gulling!

Hi Andy, its certainly a puzzling bird.The head and bill are very Iceland like, especially the small dark bill.Of course the tertials are all wrong for Thayers and the bird generally is surely too dark for Kumlien`s despite the vast amount of variation found with them.It reminded me of some of the weird hybrid Gulls I`ve seen in California.The seemingly all dark tail was strange too and the paleness of the underwing was really eyecatching.All part of the joys of Gulling!

Hi Pete,

Is there anything else it could be? I would have to confess to being slightly ignorant to all the possible juv types that could get here from the Western seaboard.

There was however a classic Smithsonianus here a few days ago ( see pic), just for 30 mins, it was a stonker in flight, ticked all the right boxes!.I `ve looked for it since but no joy...it`s out there somewhere!Attachment 376660

That's one box that, for me, is still unticked. Surely due a twitchable one soon?

Well, they are out there, but dark argies etc are the pitfall and of course there are only a handful of people actively looking for them and they are difficult to prove even with pics!
I think there have been( just about) twitchable ones in Cornwall and Dorset?/Devon away from the easier Irish ones, but you are right, a fully twitchable , undisputed Smiths overhere is overdue.